BONSIGNORE on LAKERS: GM Mitch Kupchak goes all in with Dwight Howard

It seems only fitting on the day the Lakers celebrated the life of late owner Jerry Buss, their general manager laid his cards on the table with center Dwight Howard.

In addition to being one of the greatest owners in sports history, Buss was also a renowned poker player, and it was sometimes difficult to tell where one passion ended and the other began.

But where others saw reckless gambles, like giving Magic Johnson a record-breaking 25-year, $25-million contract or cutting ties with coach Paul Westhead 11 games into the 1981-82 season and handing the team over to Pat Riley, Buss saw the right play for the cards he was holding.

Magic Johnson's contract soon turned out to be a bargain and the Lakers took off under Riley to win four titles and reach seven NBA Finals over the next eight years.

Meanwhile, Buss happily collected the big stack of chips waiting for him, his Lakers growing into the most popular team in the NBA and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Kupchak has never been the overtly bold card player Buss was, choosing instead to go about his business deliberately while leaving few discernible clues about his thoughts or plans.

That M.O. changed Wednesday as the longtime general manager took a cue from Buss and pushed all his chips to the middle of the table and declared himself all in on Howard.

Kupchak went on national radio and adamantly said he will not trade Howard, whose reputation, skill-level, desire, dedication and toughness have all come into question in the short time he has been with the Lakers.

"It's hard to get talent in this league and to have a talent like Dwight Howard, we have no intention of trading Dwight Howard," Kupchak told "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on ESPN Radio.

With confidence in the All-Star center eroding all over Los Angeles - including inside the Lakers' own locker room - and some wondering whether the team is better off simply getting rid him, Kupchak leaped into Howard's foxhole and told him he still had his back, still believed in him and still considers him the superstar the Lakers need to build around.

"Dwight is our future," Kupchak maintained.

He did so understanding it might cost him with certain Lakers players and that it might jeopardize the team's ability to cash in on Kobe Bryant's last two seasons with championships.

And he did so with no guarantee Howard will re-sign with the club when his contract expires this summer and that he might lose him for nothing if Howard decides to walk away as a free agent.

Nevertheless, Kupchak put all his money on Howard.

"He belongs to have his name on the wall (as a retired uniform) and a statue in front of Staples (Center) at some point and time," Kupchak said.

Howard initially seemed on board with Kupchak's plan.

"That's what we've always talked about since the first day I got here," he said. "It hasn't stopped. The goal hasn't changed and it won't change."

But he stopped short of declaring his future with the Lakers beyond this season secure.

"The only thing that matters is right now," Howard said. "Nobody can control what happens this offseason. But like I said it to you guys before, it's not something I need to talk about every day. There's no need for me to make a decision.

"Right now, it's where I want to be in the future. My goal hasn't changed," Howard continued. "I want to win a championship and want to win one here. I'm here right now and this is our chance to get one this season. It's been tough. But we have an opportunity to change all that."

While that doesn't sound like someone definitely leaving - or staying, for that matter - it's obvious Howard isn't sure what his Lakers' future holds.

That brings us back to Kupchak and his very public backing of his maligned center.

And why it's the perfect play.

Kupchak realizes he'll never get comparable value if he traded Howard before today's noon deadline, and that anything he did get in return would hinder the Lakers' master plan of going into the summer of 2014 with enough salary cap space to sign one or two prized free agents.

He's betting that Howard re-ups here and the Lakers will use him as a magnet to attract another superstar player in 2014, a flexibility the Lakers will have once the salaries of Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace come off the books after next season.

Publically, and I suspect privately, Kupchak is telling Howard to just suck it up this year and next year playing alongside the demanding Bryant because soon the keys to the Lakers' kingdom will be his alone.

Even if that means sacrificing some offense to focus primarily on rebounding and defense, the Lakers will make it up to him on the back end by building around him and making him the focal point.

In the process, Kupchak is defying him to walk from the fame and possibilities the Lakers have always afforded their superstars.

Are you really willing to turn your back on being the next great Lakers big man to have his number retired, to hang championship banners and to etch your name in Los Angeles history, Kupchak is asking him?

And in the process, rehabilitate an image that has taken a few dings after the way things ended in Orlando and the inauspicious beginnings in L.A.

"Players in this league are not going to get their due until they win a championship and until they do, they're under the microscope and they're going to be criticized for every single little thing," Kupchak said. " With Dwight, when he wins his first championship - and he will - people will look at him differently."

And did we mention Howard would leave more than $30 million on the table if he leaves as a free agent this summer?

Howard can re-sign for five years and $117.9 million with the Lakers compared to a four-year, $87.6 million deal with anyone else.

Add it all up and Kupchak is holding a pretty good hand.

The key to it all?

Even if Kupchak loses the bet and Howard walks away this summer, it just means the Lakers go into next year with Gasol, Bryant, Nash and World Peace teaming for one final run and by 2014 the Lakers will have enough money to sign two free agents rather than one.